-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The big winners of this Formula One season could be road drivers rather than F1 racers , according to one former world champion .

Jody Scheckter , who took the drivers ' title in 1979 , hopes a raft of technological changes -- notably smaller , hybrid engines that promise greater fuel efficiency -- will help improve road cars ' performance .

`` It 's very positive for the sport , this is the first time you 've seen the sport bring in regulations that really push the envelope of technology for every type of car , '' the South African told CNN .

`` They are trying to take efficiency from everywhere they can on a car . ''

This year 's race cars will boast an enhanced Energy Recovery System -LRB- ERS -RRB- and 1.6-liter V6 engines , compared to the 2.4-liter V8s on show last year .

The ERS uses heat generated when braking and thermal energy from exhaust gases to create extra power .

The Kinetic Energy Recovery System -LRB- KERS -RRB- has been used in F1 since 2009 , but Scheckter says these latest advancements in the sport will only benefit everyday drivers .

`` Wherever there is heat , they turn that into energy , '' added the former Ferrari driver . `` From that point of view , that 's what road cars are becoming more and more .

`` They 've taken this energy from the brakes and these different areas , that 's what Formula One has done to a much higher degree than I 've ever seen before . I think the technology will flow to road cars very quickly .

`` It 's very important for the global environment that they can make the technology work practically and then it can move into road cars . ''

On the track , Scheckter expects an unpredictable start to the championship as teams and drivers wrestle with the new regulations .

An encouraging preseason for Mercedes has fueled talk that Lewis Hamilton is the favorite for this weekend 's Australian Grand Prix and in pole position to take the title .

Hamilton , a world champion in 2008 , set the fastest time on the final day of the final test event in Bahrain , but the quickest lap time of preseason was set by Felipe Massa of Williams .

The Brazilian is a new arrival at the British team following nine years with Ferrari and Scheckter expects Massa and Hamilton to start well , but he stopped short of tipping either to be top of the pile at the end of the season .

`` If you 're going to follow some of the test results then you have to think that Mercedes and Williams have got an advantage at the beginning , '' he said . `` How long it will take for other teams to catch up , who knows ?

`` I would 've thought after the fourth , fifth race , you might see things settle down . Someone could make a modification and gain one second , two seconds per lap . That is a massive amount . So until things settle down I would n't want to back anybody . ''

The climax of the 2014 season is set to be a dramatic one , with double points set to be awarded to the driver who takes the checkered flag at November 's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , with the winner of that race awarded 50 points , rather than the usual 25 .

It 's a move that Scheckter thinks will see the fight for the world championship go down to the wire .

`` What they are trying to do is make it so the last race determines the championship , '' he said .

`` If somebody is quite far ahead and it looks like he 's going to win the championship ... if he does n't finish and another guy does he wins .

`` Is that fair ? No it 's not , but it makes exciting racing . Or it makes you throw something at the TV ! ''

Interactive : 10 cars that changed Formula One

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The first race of the 2014 Formula One season takes place in Australia on Sunday

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Turbo engines are back in the sport , with each car boasting a 1.6-liter V6 hybrid

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Former F1 winner Jody Scheckter expects F1 technology to trickle down to road cars

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For the first time in the sport 's history , double points will be awarded at the year 's final race